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PolyGram Filmed Entertainment (UK)
1992-1997 Nickname: The Drawing Red Line, PolyLine Logo: On a black background, "PolyGram" appears. Then "FILMED ENTERTAINMENT" appears under the name. A red line is drawn between "PolyGram" and "FILMED ENTERTAINMENT", which causes a red flash after it stops drawing, then it shines once. Variants: # There is an earlier version where the background is white, the words are already faded in, and the line is light blue. # On some movies, FILM DISTRIBUTION replaces FILMED ENTERTAINMENT. This can be spotted on the 1998 film, Le Clone. # There is a scope variant where the logo is cropped from 1.85 to 2.35 to fit the aspect ratio. This can be spotted on Moonlight and Valentino and the theatrical trailers for The Game. FX/SFX: The "drawing red line" effect. Cheesy Factor: The logo is quite plain and boring. The earlier version also was obviously inverted to change the color scheme. Music/Sounds: Usually none or the opening theme of the film. Music/Sounds Variant: The 1999 Universal Studios Home Entertainment United Kingdom DVD of Twelve Monkeys uses the last half of the fanfare from the 1990 Universal logo, due to an editing mistake. Availability: Uncommon. Found on most 1992 to 1997 PolyGram films, most notably Posse, Romeo is Bleeding, Jason's Lyric, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Dead Man Walking, Kalifornia (1997 PolyGram Video DVD and 2000 MGM DVD releases only, the 1994 PolyGram Video VHS release and current prints have this logo removed), A Gnome Named Gnorm (1994 PolyGram Video VHS release only, plastered by the 2005 Lionsgate Films logo on current prints due to PolyGram only handling that home media release and Lionsgate owning the film through producer Vestron Pictures), Fargo, The Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert (but not on the 1995 PolyGram Video VHS release) and Bean, among others. Also seen on United Kingdom trailers for PolyGram films, some which can be found on VHS releases in the United States by PolyGram Video. Appears on the PolyGram Video United Kingdom VHS release of The Usual Suspects. This logo is not on Shallow Grave, the Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher Batman films (which PolyGram gets credited as a producer on due to Jon Peters and Peter Guber producing the films and PolyGram receiving a portion of the films' earnings as part of Peter's and Guber's departure from the studio), The Matchmaker or any pre-1992 PolyGram films. On newer prints of post-1996 films, and pre-1996 films that they own, this is plastered with the 1997 Universal logo. Strangely, this is seen on current prints of The Borrowers (which originally used the next logo) when it last aired on Disney XD, Discovery Family and Netflix, it can still be seen on Vudu.com. The inverted variant can be seen on The Jacksons: An American Dream on TV One, VH1 and VH1 Classic, although it's plastered by the short version of the 1997 Universal logo on BET and Centric broadcasts and on the Universal Studios Home Entertainment DVD releases. Scare Factor: Minimal. 1997-2000 Polygram 01.jpg|Prototype variant Polygram 02.jpg|Normal variant Nicknames: PolyGram Winged Man, Icarus, The Crystal Wingman Logo: On an ominously-dark cloudy sky-scape, we see a transparent, crystallized winged man standing against some mountains. The camera pans outward as he jumps up and remains in the air, as his wings move back and forth. The camera pans to his left as he freezes in the air, where several white streaks appear across his body. The silver word "POLYGRAM" flies under the man and centers in place as he flashes white all over and becomes still. "FILMED ENTERTAINMENT" (or "FILMS") appears under "POLYGRAM", and everything shines. Trivia: This logo was designed by Michael J. Deas, the same person who painted and designed the 1993 Columbia Pictures and 1993 Merv Griffin Enterprises logos. The winged man is based off of Icarus, the man from the Greek fable who constructed a set of wax wings and tried to fly to the Sun before falling in the sea. Variants: # A prototype version of the logo exists, where it was just the Icarus and the word "POLYGRAM" in a stylistic font. Then either "FILMS" or "FILMED ENTERTAINMENT" in a smaller font fades in. # Some direct-to-video releases, such as Cats, refer to the company as "POLYGRAM VISUAL PROGRAMMING". # There is a cut short videotaped variant that can be found on several UK VHS releases such as Spice World. # An open matte version can be found on the theatrical trailer for Barney's Great Adventure. # There are two variants done for some films shot in the 2.35 aspect ratio. There is one where the 1.85 variant is cropped to 2.35 to accommodate the scope format. The other one is where the 4:3 version is cropped to 2.35. The cropped 1.85 version can be found on the PolyGram Video DVD of Your Friends and Neighbors. The cropped 4.3 version plasters over the prototype version on some prints of The Game. # Another variant exists where FILM DISTRIBUTION replaces FILMED ENTERTAINMENT. This can be spotted on a french trailer for The Borrowers. # On a promotion seen before the warning screen of the French VHS tape of Spice World, the cut-short version of the logo is seen with a dark yellow tint. FX/SFX: The winged man moving and the letters appearing. This is very good animation for 1997 and the animation continues to remain beautiful after over 20 years and uses shining impressively without coming off as gaudy. Music/Sounds: None or the opening theme of the film. Availability: Very rare. This has been plastered with the 1997 Universal logo on home media releases, and most television airings since shortly after Universal's acquisition of PolyGram. Can be found on PolyGram Video VHS and DVD releases of films such as Barney's Great Adventure, The Big Lebowski, Elizabeth, Clay Pigeons, The Borrowers, The Last Days of Disco and Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, among others. The earlier version with "FILMS" can be seen on The Game, a teaser trailer and a TV spot for The Borrowers and a trailer for Barney's Great Adventure that can be found on the 1998 Lyrick Studios VHS release of Barney: It's Time for Counting!. The "FILMED ENTERTAINMENT" variant of the first version can be seen on the United Kingdom trailer for The Game and the theatrical trailer for The Borrowers, the latter which can be found on some prints of the 1997 PolyGram Video VHS release of Bean. When Universal Studios Home Entertainment reissued PolyGram Video/USA Home Entertainment DVD releases from 2002 to 2004, they re-released the PolyGram manufactured discs in their original packaging, but edited out almost all references to said company on the cases (however, it would be likely that films from this time frame released in this method would preserve this logo). Also found intact on a 2008 Showtime airing of The Hi-Lo Country, as well as a Hulu print of Your Friends & Neighbors. The "FILMS" variant was strangely seen on a TMC on Demand print of What Dreams May Come. This originally appeared on American theatrical prints of Pitch Black, before the 1993 Interscope Communications logo (which was, at the time, part of PolyGram). However, all home media releases have the 1997 Universal logo (while the Interscope logo is left intact). Don't expect to see this on Batman and Robin or American prints of Spice World (which was released in the US by Columbia Pictures though PolyGram released it in the UK). Scare Factor: Minimal to low. The dark sky and winged man may very well unsettle some viewers, as well as the freeze-frame and CGI effects used throughout, but this remains among one of the best CGI logos of recent years. Category:Movie Section